Neu!

Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother were first introduced to each other when they joined Kraftwerk in 1971. Rother had spent the past six years in another Düsseldorf group, the covers band Spirits of Sound. As Neu!, Dinger and Rother were indeed attempting something "new," something they would call "fast-forward" music—known to the rest of the world as the "motorik beat." Their debut album, housed in a white cover with the title Neu! spray-painted on it, was produced by Conny Plank for Brain Records. "Hallogallo" bursts open and what a beat! It offers a simple 4/4 rhythm, but one that never hesitates, never turns and never slows down; it simply carries on, hurling over a sonic smorgasbord of backwards guitars and electronic effects. The statement made, the remainder of the album showcases the pair's penchant for experimentation and originality, leaving a musical legacy that was truly "neu." The album also was successful, selling a reputed 30,000 copies. The duo recorded a follow up in 1973, Neu! 2, and notoriously used recordings of their single "Super" b/w "Neuschnee" at various speeds to fill the second side after they ran out of studio time. However, Rother's other projects would keep the pair apart until their 1975 album, Neu! 75. That album would also see release on Capitol Records in the US. After that, their partnership ended. Rother would launch a solo career, while Dinger would form La Düsseldorf with his brother Thomas and Hans Lampe, both of whom appeared on the final Neu! album. An unfinished collaboration between Rother and Dinger in the mid-80s would be a source of much acrimony for the duo once it saw release in 1995 on Captain Trip.